Rita Lett, Counsellor & Psychotherapist/Artist

The title of this painting is ‘How Far is Heaven’. The medium is oil. It is a triptych. Each of the three panels is 70cm by 100cm. This painting depicts the work that Rita does when counselling children who have lost a parent or a close relative through suicide or cancer. Most of her work with children is through art therapy. Art Therapy is another way of getting people to express their sense of loss.

The first panel of the picture portrays the child coming for the first session in a very dark and sad place. A typical statement a young person will make is "my Dad/Mum has gone to heaven." The next panel represents children searching for meaning in what has happened to their life. During this stage of the process a child will often ask “How far is heaven?" The final panel represents working with young people towards a brighter future.

An artist friend of Rita’s called Zane worked with her to create this painting.